Full Moon Explained

– What a question! Certainly seen! And if anyone did not see it within the next month can fill this gap in its development: it is full moon each month.

It is difficult to argue against this. But is it at the moment, which is called the full moon, the moon is in the full sense of the word complete? Under what conditions will the moon is full?

The full moon should be called only when the whole side facing the observer, fully illuminated by direct sunlight. But this requires that the observer was on the line connecting the Sun and the Moon. If the observer is on Earth, then it can be referred to directly get only with the Earth . But then the Moon and the Earth’s shadow falls terrestrial observer sees an eclipse of the moon. The Sun and the Moon are not covered (or rather, barely illuminated by red light sunlight curving over Earth by scattering in the earth’s atmosphere).

Of course, to call a full moon, covered with the shadow of the Earth, a few illogical.In any other location, as the Sun, Earth and Moon latter can not be complete.

In the full sense of the full moon can only be seen by the observer, got to the line Sun – Moon alone, without the Earth . Thus the observer can only astronaut. Of course, the shadow (or rather, penumbra), which at this point will drop to the moon spaceship can be neglected.

All of the above should not, of course, that the word “Moon” to cancel. Full Moon agreed to call the most complete of all the phase of the moon, which are possible in the current month. If this is hard to remember, the word “Moon” is not misleading and does not cause any discomfort, despite its inaccuracy.